Engineers in central Austria are beginning a search over a frozen lake where the Nazis are believed to have hidden top secret files relating to the final stages of the Second World War.

Electronic sounding gear is being moved into place over the frozen surface to pinpoint areas which will be investigated later by miniature submarines.

The remote Toplitz See, in central Austria, is in a mountain range which forms part of the so-called Fortress Alps from where the Nazis intended to launch their final resistance.

The lake is also believed to contain documents and forged British currency pounds -- part of a Nazi plan to flood Britain with counterfeit money.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service